“46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. 48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. 49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. 50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. 52 Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.” John 4:46-53

The Scriptures tell us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). What does this mean? It means faith takes hold of things promised to us in God’s Word even though we can’t see them yet with our eyes. And, indeed, we as Christians “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7; cf. Hab. 2:4).

God promises to all of us who trust in Christ and His atoning sacrifice on the cross His pardon and forgiveness for all our sins. Can you see this forgiveness? Do the heavens open, and does God’s voice sound audibly from heaven saying, “I forgive you all your sins”? No, we have only the word of the gospel in our Bibles and preached by God’s ministers telling us it is so.

When we are sick and facing our mortality, do we see Jesus on His throne of glory and God’s angels descending from heaven to carry us home? No, we have only God’s promise that His angels will carry our souls into the bosom of Abraham because Jesus died for our sins and rose again (cf. Luke 16:22; 2 Cor. 5:1-8; Phil. 1:21-23).

Many do not believe in God’s promises because they can’t see them with their eyes or understand them with their minds. But Jesus would have us trust Him and His Word and live by faith in His promises.

Consider the nobleman who came to Jesus while at Cana in Galilee. He came to Jesus from Capernaum (in the valley along the Sea of Galilee) because his son was deathly ill, and he asked Jesus to come down to Capernaum and heal his son.

But what did Jesus say? “Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.”

The nobleman had heard of Jesus and thought Jesus could help in this hour of desperate need — if Jesus came down to Capernaum and to his house. But did Jesus, the eternal Son of God who created all things by His almighty word, need to go and be visibly present in this man’s home? Jesus desired this man to have faith in His words even if he could not yet see their fulfillment with his eyes. Jesus told him, “Go thy way; thy son liveth.”

A remarkable thing happened. This man who had begged Jesus to come down before his son died now believed and returned to his house. Jesus’ words not only expressed a miraculous truth; they had power — the power to create faith in this nobleman. The nobleman now believed and walked by faith all the way down to Capernaum (about 20 miles), where his eyes saw the truthfulness of what he had believed. As a result, both he and his household came to believe and trust in Jesus as the Son of God and their Savior!

The Word of God tells us Jesus is none other than God Himself in human flesh, who came into this world to redeem us from sin and eternal death. The Word of God tells us that He died as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world — in John the Baptist’s words, Jesus is “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

The Word of God tells us Jesus not only died for our sins but then rose from the dead on the third day and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. The Word of God promises us pardon and forgiveness through faith in Jesus and His cross, and the Word of God promises all who trust in Jesus a place in God’s everlasting kingdom (John 3:14-16; 5:24; 14:1-6).

Can you see it? Does Jesus prove it before our eyes with modern-day signs and wonders? No, He tells us it is so in His Word. And that Word has power.

St. Paul writes in Romans 1:16-17: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” In Romans 10:17, the Bible says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

As we live our lives in this world, Jesus would have us walk by faith and not by sight. He would have us take Him at His Word and not have to see signs and wonders before we will believe.

And, like the nobleman, when we get home, we will see with our eyes the truthfulness of His Word. When we are received into the glories of our eternal home through faith alone in the merits of Christ, we will see that indeed Christ did atone for all our sins, that God accepted His atonement as His resurrection proves, that when we have God-wrought faith in Christ all our sins are pardoned and forgiven and that, through faith in Christ, the eternal joys of heaven are indeed ours!

O God, graciously grant that we walk by faith in Your Word and not by sight, for only through faith in Christ will our eyes ever come to see the blessings that are offered and given to us in Him! Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:33-36

Many think all is well with their souls because of their religious heritage or their membership in a church or denomination. They are convinced that God certainly loves and accepts them as His children because of their church affiliation and their religious works and service.

Jesus said this was far from true. He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever.” If one continues in sin, he is a servant of sin, and servants of sin, though they may be outwardly connected with a church or religious gathering, will not continue to be connected with God’s church and family.

Jesus explains this in his parables of the wheat and the tares and of the dragnet (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43; 13:47-50). It is as Jesus said, “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. … As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 13:30,40-42); and, “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” Matt. 13:49-50).

It is not enough to be a good Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, etc. One needs to be set free by the Son of God, who abides forever in God’s kingdom. If He who establishes and rules over God’s kingdom sets you free, making you a child of God through faith in Christ Jesus and His cross rather than a servant of sin, you shall be free indeed and have an inheritance in God’s everlasting kingdom (cf. Gal. 3-4).

What is Jesus’ point? Don’t trust in your religious heritage, your church membership, or your charitable deeds. As such, you remain enslaved in sin and will find yourself cast out of God’s kingdom. Instead, turn from your sinful ways and look to God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, for mercy, forgiveness, and a place in God’s eternal church and kingdom. Through faith in Jesus and His cross, you will be set free from the guilt and bondage of your sins, be accepted as God’s child, and be an heir with Abraham and all others who place their faith and hope in Jesus and His cross.

“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:26-29).

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

Dear Son of God and my Savior, forgive my sins in Your blood, shed on the cross for the sins of the world, and make me a child of God and an heir of the everlasting joys of Your kingdom. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.” John 20:1 (Cf. John 20:1ff.; Matt. 28:1ff.; Mark 16:1ff.; Luke 24:1ff.; 1 Cor. 15)

The stone was rolled away, the tomb was empty, and the burial clothes of Jesus were lying there, but Jesus was not there — He had risen from the dead!

He appeared to Mary Magdalene outside the tomb, to the other women as they ran back into Jerusalem, to Peter, to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, to all the disciples on numerous occasions, and even to more than 500 brethren at once. Angels proclaimed His resurrection, and Jesus’ own followers finally came to understand and believe that Jesus really was alive — He had risen, as He said!

But what about you? Do you believe that Jesus rose bodily from the dead on the third day — that He really is alive? Like Jesus’ first disciples, we too may be “slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken” (Luke 24:25).

As the Scriptures say, “Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:46-47).

The Scriptures foretold how Christ Jesus would suffer and die and bear the iniquity of us all, and how He would rise again in triumph and establish His everlasting kingdom (cf. Isa. 53; Ps. 22). Jesus truly did die for the sins of the whole world, and He truly did rise again from the dead on the third day!

So, why is it that we often live our lives as though He were not raised from the dead — as though He were still in the tomb?

Why do we go about our lives as though God were unwilling to forgive us? The Bible assures us that “Jesus our Lord … was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Rom. 4:24,25). Jesus paid in full for our sins — “it is finished” (John 19:30). He was raised so that we might look to Him in faith and be forgiven and counted righteous. God reaches out to us with open arms! He calls us to repent and offers us forgiveness and life through faith in the crucified and risen Christ Jesus!

Why do we live in fear of death? Jesus conquered death for us and rose again. The Scripture says, “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming” (1 Cor. 15:20-23). We, as Christians, need not fear death since Christ has removed our sin and the condemnation of God’s law from us (cf. 1 Cor. 15:55-57; Heb. 2:14-17). And, indeed, when death comes to a believer, we have no need to “sorrow… as others which have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13-18).

Why do we live our lives here in this world as though this is our home? “Our Lord Jesus Christ … gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world” (Gal. 1:3,4). He now prepares a place for those who trust in Him in the mansions of His Father’s house, and He will soon come again and take all who believe to be with Him in heaven and dwell forever with Him there (cf. John 14:2-3). All that is here in this world will soon be burned up — only what is done as a fruit of faith in Christ will last (cf. 1 Cor. 3:13-15; 2 Pet. 3:10-13).

Why do we live our lives as though we have nothing to do for Christ Jesus here in this world? He commanded His disciples: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. …” (Mark 16:15). He commanded us to “teach” or disciple the nations (Matt. 28:18-20). Jesus rose from the dead! He won forgiveness of sins and eternal life for all, and He is coming again soon to judge this evil world! Shouldn’t we be about the work of our Lord and calling lost sinners to repentance and faith in Christ Jesus? Apart from Him, there is no salvation (cf. Acts 4:12)!

Finally, why do we live our lives as though Jesus is not with us? He has risen from the dead, ascended to the right hand of God the Father, and rules over and fills all things (cf. Eph. 1:15-23). The risen Jesus is with us always, “even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20).

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, our risen Savior, open up our minds to understand the Scriptures so that we might not only believe that you truly have risen from the dead but that we would live our lives by faith in Your glorious resurrection and all that this means for us now and forever. Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

“After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” John 19:28-30

It is sometimes said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and that may very well be true. But sometimes a single word can also express a truth better than a thousand; and in one particular case, that is most certainly true.

Before He yielded up His spirit and died on the cross, Jesus uttered what is rendered as a single word in the Greek New Testament: “Tetelestai.” This single Greek word is translated with three English words: “It is finished” (John 19:30).

Jesus was hanging in agony during those final moments upon the cross, his mouth dry from gasping for every breath as he lifted Himself yet another time to breathe. He asked for a drink, and after receiving vinegar on a sponge, He proclaimed what is expressed in that single Greek word, “tetelestai” — all was finished and our salvation was won.

And it is likely that Jesus uttered this in Aramaic or Hebrew rather than Greek and, though we don’t know His exact choice of a word or words, He may have used a form of the Aramaic word “shelim” which is related to the Hebrew “shalom” and would indicate that atonement had been made and peace with God was won.

And, indeed, it was! Jesus Christ, God the Son made man, had fulfilled all that was written of Him in the Scriptures and had paid in full for the sins of the whole world! Atonement had been made. He had accomplished the redemption of all mankind. God’s just wrath against sin had been satisfied, and God’s pardon had been won!

What does this single word of Jesus mean for you and for me? It means our sins — indeed the sins of the whole world — are paid for in full! Full atonement was made! It means that God’s favor is won! He now reaches out to us in grace and mercy for the sake of His Son and His innocent sufferings and death upon the cross in our stead! It means that, no matter what we have done, Jesus paid the price for our sins that we might receive through faith in Christ Jesus God’s mercy and forgiveness and a place in His everlasting kingdom!

This single word assures us that all is done and the salvation of all who trust in Jesus is sure! There is nothing we need to do or add to Jesus’ completed work! “Tetelestai!” “It is finished!” And Jesus’ resurrection on the third day proves the truthfulness of His single, dying word (cf. Rom. 4:23 — 5:2).

The Gospel tells us that “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures … that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4). It tells us that “Jesus Christ the righteous … is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1,2). It tells us that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

O dearest Jesus, thank you for bearing in full the punishment for my sins when You suffered and died on the cross — for finishing all that I might through faith in Your name be acceptable in Your sight, have forgiveness for all my sins, and live with You forever in heaven. Tetelestai! It is finished! Amen.

[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]

There are many pivotal points in human history, events that forever change the course of the world and human life in the world. We might think of such things as the invention of the automobile, the airplane or the computer. We might think of events like the end of the world wars, the dropping of the first atomic bomb, or the landing of men on the moon. If we go back further in history, we might think of such things as the invention of the printing press, the use of gunpowder, or the development of the telegraph or the radio.

Yet, there is one event in history that outweighs them all and has more significance to every person who has ever lived or will live than any other. And for many, the observation of the anniversary date of this event goes largely unnoticed. I’m talking about the moment on that first Good Friday when Jesus was dying on the cross and cried out the words: “It is finished!” In the original Greek of the New Testament (John 19:30), it is only one word, “tetelestai.”

What was so earth-shaking about this particular moment in human history? Well, aside from the fact that the earth did shake and the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, it is pivotal and most significant because, at that very moment in human history, the redemption of mankind was accomplished. Jesus the Christ, Son of God and Son of the Virgin Mary, had lived a sinless and perfect life in the stead of all mankind and He had suffered upon the cross the full and just punishment for the sins of all mankind. At that very moment, atonement for man’s sin was made, God’s just wrath against sin was satisfied and salvation was won for all mankind. Jesus’ resurrection on the third day was proof of that fact.

As a result of what Jesus completed at that moment in time, God reaches out to sinful man with His offer and gift of pardon, forgiveness and life eternal as an alternative to what we all deserve — judgment, condemnation and eternal punishment for sin. Jesus suffered our punishment and, as a result, all who look to Jesus and His cross in faith have pardon, forgiveness and the certain promise of eternal life in heaven!

This event is pivotal and most significant for all people because Jesus, when He died there on that Roman cross, paid the price for the sins of all, from Adam and Eve to the last human being to be born into this world. The event is significant and most important for everyone because, without it, we would all be condemned to eternal punishment for our sins, but with it, all who repent and look to Jesus in faith have forgiveness and the eternal joys of heaven.

Though many do not wish to face it, this event and what Christ Jesus accomplished when He uttered those words and died on the cross confronts every human who has ever lived or will live. It confronts each and every one of us with the question of what we do with Jesus and the atonement He accomplished when He died on the cross as the only perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world.

It is as Jesus said in John 3:36: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

Jesus also said in Mark 16:15-16: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

Christ Jesus died for the sins of all and rose again in triumph, and the Gospel — that good news of what He accomplished for all when He died upon the cross — is and has been preached to all the nations. Those who, by the gracious working of God’s Spirit, come to trust in Christ and the work He accomplished for all are saved. Those who reject or neglect the message of Christ’s sacrifice for the sins of all are condemned for not believing in the name of God’s only-begotten Son and looking to Him for pardon.

What could be more pivotal in human history and have an impact on more human lives than what Christ accomplished for all upon the cross?